The New World
by TheUnchartedHeart
Summary: Glen is not well versed in the order of the new world. Helpless and alone he almost meets his end when a mysterious stranger saves his life. Glens life is about to change and he's going to have to learn a few things before he ends up dead. But he just so happened to have met the perfect person to teach him. Glen/Daryl pairing. Will be M rated.
1. Epilogue

Hey guys! So I haven't posted anything in a long time, Ive had a lot of things going on in my life. But Ive had this idea running around my head for months and had to get it out haha.

I know Im not the most perfect writer in the world but I enjoy to do it, if you have any tips for me don't hesitate to let me know I'm always willing to learn! :)

WARNINGS- This fanfic is going to have a Glen and Daryl Romance. If your not into that kind of thing I suggest you don't read.

Im hoping to update every couple of days so If you like the episode please keep a look out for the rest of the chapters! Thanks guys! Xx

Epilogue-

Run

I'm running. I'm running through thick forest as quick as my legs will take me. Rain pours down around me, I'm completely soaked, it blurs my vision so that everything around me just looks like a green and brown blur. Black puddles splash up my legs as I barrel through the foliage at top speed.

I take a swift turn sliding slightly in the slick mud and then force my muscles to continue to run. Blood trickles down my forehead and does nothing to help my inability to see. I almost didn't notice until my vision turned a sickening red. I'm running so hard I almost run face first into trees and fallen branches. I can hardly breathe. I can still hear the hungry groans and wails behind me. There must be 30, maybe 40. I don't stop. I can't stop.

I manage to turn my head while I run I'd gotten a decent distance away from them but they were still gaining ground at a quicker pace than I ever thought they could, but then again I had only ever come across straddlers. I had been lucky. Until now of course.

As I run I notice the trees beginning to get thinner and I come to a road and pause to wipe my eyes clear of blood and rainwater while I got my bearings and caught what little breath I had left. I don't know whether it was because I was panicking but I recognised nothing. I was living on borrowed time so I picked a direction and began to run again, my muscles screamed and my lungs tightened. I don't know how long I can keep this up. As I ran down the dirt road let out a sob. I didn't want to die, not like this. I had been doing so well, I had found a group of survivors, we had managed to set up a camp, find weapons, food. Life had been, dare I say, normal for a while. I had been locked in a false sense of security, denying the new order of things. How foolish I had been. When the walkers had hit our camp that night we didn't stand a chance. I had just managed to make a run for it without any weapons food or water, running from the screams of my friends as they were ripped apart in there beds. I'm a coward.

Maybe I deserve this, to run until I can't run anymore and then be eaten alive. Maybe it was better this way. I didn't need anything else compromising my vision so I held back tears that were oh so desperate to fall. And that's when I saw it, a gas station. Not the perfect hiding spot but it was something and I was too short of options to be picky. I noticed the bulk of the hoard had yet to make it on to the road and took this as my chance, I surged forward. Willing my legs to go faster until I reached the door of the station.

My heart dropped as I pulled on the door to find it locked, I took a breath and pulled and shook to door to no avail, it wouldn't budge. I let out another sob as I franticly pulled at the door, noticing more and more walkers break through the tree line.

They had gained on me maybe 15 feet away? I put my back flat again the door. I couldn't run anymore. 10 feet. I let the sobs come thick and fast now, not much point in hiding them now. Five feet. I closed my eyes I hoped that the first bite would be my neck, hopefully then I could bleed out too quickly to feel much pain. 3 feet. I think of my parents, my family, my friends. 1 foot. I feel the first walker grab for me and I let out a fearful sob of the pain to come.

And then I fell backwards.

The door behind me flew open, allowing me to fall inside, my breath leaves me as I fall to the floor with a painful smack. I hear the door slam shut and walkers slam against it desperate to get inside and sink their teeth into my flesh. I gather myself enough to look up, and straight into the tip of a sharpend arrow. I blink wildly not really able to make sense of the frantic events of the past ten minutes. I look up from the arrow and find the face of the man pointing it at my head. I am lost for words.

I stutter and stumble over words and stare into the head of the arrow, then back into the mysterious man eyes, which were mostly covered by dark hair. His brow was stern and low as he stared down intensely at my shaking form. He was waiting for me to make any kind of move that would indicate I was going to attack him. Then he would shoot me. So I stayed as still as possible, apart from slight shivering.

We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. His expression never changed. "T...thank you" I managed to force out. He remained silent, his body and face still unchanging. My breathing had calmed some, well as much as it could with an arrow aimed at my head. His breathing was calm, he was obviously well versed in the new order of the world. I shifted slightly and thought about standing but as soon as I moved he tightened his grip on the crossbow. I stilled instantly.

"Can I stand?" I asked, thankful my stammer had subsided. He stared, if possible, more intensely at me. His eye skimmed my form, I think he was looking for weapons. After a few moments he nodded, it was very slight but it was there. I slowly began to rise to my feet, he followed me up with his crossbow still trained at my head until finally I was on my feet. The dead banged at the doors but he didn't flinch, just stared at me. Had he even blinked?

"I'm Glen..." I told him and put my hand out. I wasn't sure why.

He lifted an eyebrow, glanced at my hand quizzically, and paused. Obviously hand shaking was not common in the new world... I was about to pull my hand back when he lowered his crossbow slightly. He made no move to shake my hand.

"Daryl."

He speaks!

Annnnndd thats all for this chapter folks! Please let me know if you enjoyed it, Id love to hear your opinions, and look out for the new chapter which should be on here in the next couple of days! xx


	2. A new beginning

The beginning.

Daryl stood by the window of the gas station, watching the herd carefully through a slot between two of the 2x4 which had been nailed to the wall to cover the windows. It had been two hours. Two hours of deadly silence, with the occasional remark or question from me which was replied to with a grunt or no more than two word sentences from 'Daryl'. Of course there were groans from the slowly disbanding herd outside, but I didn't count that, it had become background noise by now.

It was starting to grow dim outside, but the rain had finally stopped. That was something I guess. I hoped that we might leave soon, trying to make conversation with this guy was impossible and honestly I was beginning to feel uncomfortable, I had tried the usual "where are you from?", "how'd you end up here?", "got any family?" to little avail. So eventually I began to pace around the shop looking for other things to do while we waited.

The place obviously hadn't seen much action since this all began, there was no blood, everything was still on the shelves and there was no sign of any walkers ever being in here. I look around aimlessly, inspecting random dust covered souvenirs, until I see the front page of some old newspapers, dated a few days before the world went to shit, Its headlines big and bold scaremongering about of riots, quarantines and a sickness. I dismissed it, I didn't need a reminder.

I had noticed a big black duffle bag lay open on the counter of the store, upon closer inspection food, painkillers, and cigarettes had been stuffed inside. I gently picked up a packet of the cigarettes and looked up at Daryl who of course was staring out of the window, I had to hand it to him, the guy had patience.

"These thing will kill you" I remarked, hoping to start some sort of conversation that required replies that were longer then two words. He glanced at me, then down to the pack in my hand and scoffed, turning his attention back to the window.

"And surely it can't help with the cardio, running away from walkers all day." I continued.

This time he didn't respond at all, his gaze remained outside but I could see the hint of frustration on his features but I continued anyway. "People call them cancersticks for a reason." Still no real reaction, I sighed. I think I'd have more luck talking to the wall but I continued to push for some kind of interaction.

" I knew this guy once, chain smoker, I think he smoked 50 to 70 a day, ended up with throat cancer, they couldn't save him and that was when hospitals were actually a thing and people weren't trying to eat other peoples-"

"Shut up kid" I heard him grunt, his eyes still unmoving.

I frown, this guy was impossible! But three words, wow a new record.

"Hey! At least I'm trying to make some kind of conversation, and my names Glenn! Not 'kid'"

Now, This next part... I'll admit I didn't see coming. I had never seen someone move so quickly and silently at the same time. One minute he was at the window the next he was in front of me, pushing me back against the counter, his fingers wrapped into the front of my shirt and his face dangerously close to mine.

I gulped.

"It's the walkers you should be scared of killing ya', not some damn cigarettes." He said irritation laced into his voice, but to be honest I was a little happy just to get a full sentence out of him.

I never knew I was a fan of the southern drawl until now.

"Listen good, 'Glenn'. Ya could be dead tomorrow and it's damn likely ya might be, take some pleasures when ya find 'em". He stated harshly and slowly released my shirt and started back to his spot of the window.

I paused for a moment and thought about his words, and how defined the muscles in his arms were, but I pushed that thought aside, maybe later. I opened the packed of cigarettes and pulled the cancersticks out, placing it between my lips. He was already staring out of he window again.

"Hey" I called.

He hummed an acknowledgment.

"You got a light?" I asked casually.

He turned his head with a raised eyebrow, staring at the cigarette in my mouth. He lips twitched and I saw a hint of a smirk, he put his hand into his pocket. Turning back to the window he tossing the lighter without even looking, I caught it and lit up. As I inhaled I resist the urge to cough, and it took me a few seconds to calm my lungs so I could exhale without having a coughing fit. He had turned to look at me once more, watching me with the strangest look on his face, like he couldn't quite figure me out.

I liked it that way, he wasn't the only one who was mysterious.

\- The next Morning-

It had been a very uneventful night. We sat I talked, Daryl had a staring competition with the window, Daryl won. Good times. We ate a few candy bars and Daryl announced it was too dangerous to try to fight through them at night so suggested (more like ordered) we stayed put. I agreed without a thought, he obviously knew better than me. I don't know when I had fallen to sleep but I did, It's not like the good supply of rich and meaningful conversation was enough to keep me awake, but the day had been stressful and to be honest I was exhausted.

"Hey kid, wake up."

I jump awake, and see Daryl looming over me, nudging me in the ribs with the side of his boot. It was still dim must have been 6? Maybe 7 in the morning.

"Most of em' have gone, ya need to get up and get goin'" It takes a moment to process the words; I was never a morning person. I scramble to my feet in confusion as he walks away.

"Wait. Y...you're not coming?". I asked, Damn stutter. Yeah I'd only known him a day and he was a strange character but the thought of being alone terrified me.

" I saved your ass once what more do ya want?" He grunted and began zipping up the bag I had found on the counter and slung it over his shoulder.

"I can't go out there alone I'll die! I... I'm not like you, but you! You can teach me to be! I'm smart I'll learn quickly." I pleaded with him. I wasn't proud but I'd rather be pathetic and alive then proud and dead.

"Everyone's gotta die kid, you ain't my problem."

And with that he walked out of the door, without so much of a fleeting look back or a goodbye.

Now I don't know if it was stupidity or just pure desperation but my feet just moved on their own. Suddenly I was racing towards the door, and once through it down the dirt road where Daryl was heading.

"Hey!" I called out, he didn't even flinch just carried on walking.

"HEY!" I shouted gaining on him until I was walking next to him.

"You may think I'm just another idiot that's gunna die but I'm not! I want to survive and to learn just give me a chance!" I had to walk fast to keep up with his pace, he still had not looked at me.

"I ain't nobodies babysitter." He growled at me keeping his gaze towards the road ahead and not slowing his pace.

"Well I owe you! You saved my life! I need to repay you some how!" I resorted, I was quickly running out of reasons he should let me go with him. That was worrying; I really was useless in this new world.

"Get out of my face and we'll call it even" He said while grinding his teeth.

I moved in front of him, and put my hand out to rest on his chest, finally halting him. I was panting, as I stared straight into his eyes. He glared back, looking down at my hand then back up to my face.

"Please. Please give me a chance. I can help, I swear I can." He stared at me intently, for what seemed like an eternity, I could see some conflict in his eyes. I hope it was about taking me along and not which weapon he'd most like to kill me with.

"One chance, if I slow you down you can leave me to die." I stared back I must have looked so pathetic, so desperate, but I didn't care. I just needed to survive. He signed heavily and grabbed my wrist.

"One week. There's a camp that takes in survivors. It's a week's travel. I'll take ya there but that's it. One week." He spat at me, before releasing my wrist.

My face lit up, "Yes! That's perfect, thank you!" I exclaimed, my grin so wide it hurt my cheeks. He frowned and looked away, "yeah yeah, we should get moving; we need to cover some miles by tonight." He mumbled and walked around me. If I didn't know any better I could have sworn I was his expression... soften for a moment. Maybe I was seeing things.

I quickly nodded and began walking to catch him up. We walked in silence a few walkers stumbled into our path but Daryl quickly disposed of with an army knife from his belt, apart from that it was fairly uneventful.

After an hour or so Daryl stopped and sat on the bonnet of an abandoned car, pulling out two water bottles from the bag he was carrying and handed one to me. I sat with him and watched a couple of walkers stumble around in the distance.

"So, if there's a survivor's camp why don't you live there?" I asked, but I already had an idea of what the answer might be.

"I don't need no damn camp, I'm doin' fine by myself." He grunted in response he seemed to instantly turn defensive, I must have hit a nerve. I decided to drop it, seemed in my best interests. I looked down at my water and made an attempt to change the subject.

"I was a pizza delivery boy before all this." I chucked.

"I was still working when the shit it the fan, wasn't until some old lady almost took a bite out of my face instead of her 12 inch pepperoni that a realised that the reports they had been showing on the news was true. I went straight home, packed what I could and left the city. I didn't even call anyone...sometimes I wonder if my parents made it. Probably not, but we weren't on the best terms before all this." I paused, I had realised I was babbling, but in my defence word vomit was a thing and this guy made me nervous.

Daryl didn't seem as agitated by my general chatter, he just glance at me when I stopped with a lifted eyebrow and took a sip of his water. Did he want me to continue?

"My parents were old fashioned, and "didn't approve" of my life style, My university wasn't good enough, studying music wasn't good enough and my part time job wasn't good enough but I guess it was mainly my orientation that really sent them over the edge." I paused; I had not meant to go into quite that much detail. I waited for Daryl's response; surely telling the redneck I...'preferred male company' was not the best course of action.

"So you're Chinese and a fag? Heh, figures." He laughed. Actually laughed! With a smile and everything!

"I'm Korean." I corrected him quietly with a pout.

I was surprised, he didn't seem disgusted, just... Amused?

Whatever it was I greatly preferred it to him being disgusted and leaving me to die.

"You don't think that's disgusting?" I asked slowly, a little afraid of the response.

"Each to their own, not every hillbilly redneck is a homophobic, racist arsehole ya know." He smirked and I gotta admit, he looked pretty hot when he did that.

I chucked. " Mr hillbilly I'm sorry for stereotyping you" I smiled and we were laughing, it was strange. He should laugh more often, he looked much better with a smile.

Once the chuckling has come to its natural end I decided to try and push things a little, he seemed to be quite relaxed at that moment in time.

"So what's your story then Mr equality and diversity redneck?" I sniggered, and just like that I saw his body tense once more. He was no longer relaxed and I had and feeling that the end of bonding time for today.

He jumped down from the bonnet and stuffed his water bottle into his bag. "We should keep moving." He muttered. I didn't argue, just stood and began walking.

This was going to be one long ass week.

Thats all for now folks

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.

I know that Glenn did not study music in university in the original series however I wanted to do this for something I have planned later on in the story.

Again I am by no means perfect in my writing, if you have any tips or just want to leave me a nice comment please review I would love to know your opinions! xx


	3. The house on the corn fields

Hey guys! Another update! Thank you so much for your kind reviews, please let me know what you think of the new chapter! Xx

I threw myself down on an old sofa and let out the heaviest sigh, the day had been long and I was exhausted. We must have walked at least 20 miles. I miss cars that work and trains that run late, hell I even miss planes and the terrible fear I used to get whenever I had to board one. I pulled my boots off and lay back against the discolored cushions, I had never been so happy to be sat on an old sofa.

We had found an abandoned house as we walked down the dirt track, Daryl had spotted it across some corn fields and thought it would be a good place to hold up for the night. It was getting late and the sky was beginning to dim and I had no objections to settling in for the night, in fact my legs begged for it.

As we entered it was obvious the place had seen some action at some point, as proven by the two foot blood splatter that adorned the wall I was sat facing. I was too tired to care, Daryl had already checked around the house and given the all clear, so I sat happily facing the bloodstain and to be honest I felt safe.

I sat back and let my head rest against the back of the sofa as Daryl wondered into the room with a little white box.

"Sit up" he ordered and I obeyed, sitting forward as he sat facing me on a small coffee table.

"Your head, it's still cut." He muttered as he opened what I now realise was a first aid box. To be honest I had forgotten about the small cut on my forehead. It sat just below my hair line so I smiled and pushed the hair of my fringe back to give him more access.

"How did you even get this?" He asked as he pulled out a gauze and a small bottle of saline solution.

I blushed and muttered a reply quietly.

"What did ya say?" He paused what he was doing.

"I ran into a tree."

Daryl looked at me for a moment and desperately tried to hide the growing smirk on his face.

"I was panicking okay! It was dark and raining and I didn't look where I was running..." I frowned as Daryl's grin turned into a snigger.

He began pouring a small amount on to the gauze he looked up with a smirk. "This is gunna sting".

"The cuts tiny it can't hurt that mu-" I was quickly cut off by a yelp of pain as he pressed the gauze to my head, it strung like a bitch.

He chuckled and I pouted. "I wasn't ready!" I whined. He just scoffed and continued with treating my forehead.

He was staring intently making sure the wound was clean, I watched him as he worked, his face was so close and I have to admit I was actually getting a little nervous. When you looked closely, under the grime and the fringe he was actually very handsome. Not conventional handsome but something completely different, I don't think I'll ever be able to explain the attraction but it was definitely the first time feeling it. This unexplainable pull towards him.

He applied a Band-Aid that was slightly bigger than the two inch cut and as he pressed it down he glanced at the rest of my face. Noticing I was staring back at him he jumped slightly and paused, as our eyes locked it seemed like a thousand words were exchanged and I was unable to look away.

His eyes had such an intense gaze, I felt naked under it, it just seemed to strip me down to my very core. My face moved forward slight and my eyes dropped to his lips. He pulled his gaze away and cleared his throat. "Your done" he grunted, I felt my cheeks flush as I pulled my own gaze away and focused on the bloodstain on the wall. "Thanks it feels much better" I replied probably a little too quickly, he stuffed the first aid kit in the black duffle bag and zipped it up. I stood and watched him . He made me nervous and angry all at once and I had no idea why.

I had to break this weird moment so I said the first thing that popped into my head.

"I.. Eh... Found some soup cans in the kitchen. I was thinking we could make a fire outside and warm them up" I asked and he looked reluctant for a while. "The smoke could draw attention... As long as your quick can't have it burnin' too long" he mumbled, and I nodded in response. With one last look I walked towards the kitchen. I felt like there was something I should say but I didn't know what it was so I didn't bother to say anything, it probably wasn't a good idea anyway. I set to work finding pans and bowls which was quite easy as the house was actually well stocked. Looters hadn't found this place yet it seemed. I took them outside and gathered some dry twigs and after a while of fiddling around with them I eventually made a fire.

As I held the pan above the flame and waited for the soup to heat I looked out across the field at the back of the house. The sun was setting slowly and it lit up the sky orange, yellow and red. It was beautiful. There was still some beauty left in this horribly ugly world, if you looked in the right places. I mentally kicked myself, because I wasn't only thinking of the sunset.

I heated up the soups and poured them into the bowls I sighed as I stamped out the fire. There was an uncomfortable atmosphere inside the house, I knew he could feel it too, so going back in made my hands shake a little.

As I opened the back door of the house leading into the kitchen, I noticed Daryl sat, feet on the dining table, lazily puffing on a cigarette. I frowned as I approached; he noticed the bowls in my hand and moved his feet from the table. I set his bowl down in front of him and he grabbed a spoon I had put out earlier and immediately dug into the soup. The atmosphere was so heavy I felt like lying on the floor. But I resisted the urge and set my bowl down on the table, with me sat on one side, him on the other, the atmosphere did not lighten any.

We ate in silence, Daryl rose and moved the bowls, and after a few moments he replaced it with a candy bar. I smiled slightly and muttered a thank you. He sits once again facing me. I finally decided to be brave and break the uncomfortable silence. "So where were you before all this?" I asked not taking my eyes of my candy bar as I removed the wrapper. " I wasn't nothin" he paused and I didn't dare move, I had learned some things about Daryl, he was like a deer where conversation was concerned, if you got to close he would run. So I didn't move or speak, just waited for him to continue and after a few moments of thinking he did.

"I was following my brother round, getting high, and robbin' stuff for drug money." He stated simply, like it was nothing. I stared at him wide-eyed and waited him to tell me he was joking but he had fallen silent. I opened my mouth a few times and attempted to reply but I had no idea how I respond so I just closed my mouth again. "Yeah that's what people usually say." He scoffed and lit up another cigarette, inhaling deeply. I slowly reached over the table and retrieved a cigarette of my own. Lighting it I coughed slightly, and he chuckled.

"I stole an ice lolly once... But I was eight, and I got grounded for two weeks when my parents found out." He stared at me for a little while before beginning to snigger and I joined him.

"A fuckin' ice lolly?" He said between laughs.

"Yeah! It was so hot and I didn't have any money so I thought I'd just take it" I replied as my shoulders shook from laughter.

He shook his head. "Your a genuine bad ass" he smirked.

I flushed red and chuckled back. "I know, my parents just couldn't control me" I responded.

He just chuckled at me and leaned back into his chair and then his face suddenly straightened.

I was about the ask what was wrong when he jumped up from his seat quicker then I'd seen him move yet and grabbed me and threw me straight onto the floor, I gasped and started to complain when his hand slapped over my mouth. A moment ago I was happily enjoying my candy bar and cigarette and now I was lay on the kitchen floor with my head and shoulders up against one of the cupboards Daryl couched over me completely still. I stayed still too however my breathing had become much heavier. When I had calmed enough too actually listen I heard the faint sound of a car approaching and that's when a realized Daryl had pulled is down so we would be unseen from any of the windows. I saw Daryl's muscles tense as the car drove past the house, and I closed my eyes and prayed that the car would keep driving. The car seemed slow a little when passing the house but continued to roll past and slowly the sound of the engine disappeared leaving only silence and the sound of my breathing. Daryl slowly removed his hand and I opened my eyes, it was only at this point I realized just how compromising our position was.

I was lay and him crouched above me one leg in-between mine and the other resting next to my hip. His hand rested on the cupboard door just above my head so he was pretty much hunched completely over me. "Who was that?" I managed to ask even though I was pretty scared and flustered, which is a weird combination to feel might I add.

"I don't know, and I don't wanna find out. Normal people do more damage than the walkers these days" He stated, still listening out for any signs of more cars or for any signs the car had turned around and was heading back . He still had not moved from his half straddling position and I could feel my face turning a dark red color. He looked down at me and searched my face with his eyes.

"Calm down kid, if ya turn anymore red I think ya pretty little head might explode." He smirked.

Ever had one of those moments you want the ground to just open up and swallow you? Yeah well I was having one of those moments. I scrambled for words that never came and ended up just laying there looking like a bewildered tomato.

He pushed himself up into a standing position, grabbing me on the way up to bring me to my feet. He really was pretty strong because I had done little to help him. I stood against the counter top and he stood in front of me and rested his hand on the surface behind me. "You're a weird kid. Ya know that?" He mused and turned to leave the kitchen.

Again a scrambled for words and came up with nothing. " Go to bed kid. I got the first watch" he waved over his shoulder and walked out of the door leaving me flustered, and still at a loss for words. I scurried up the stairs and into the first bedroom I saw and threw myself down on the double bed, face first into the pillows.

Well... This was definitely more then I bargained for.

Daryl's POV

The kid was cute. That annoyed the living hell out of me but the kid was fucking cute. I saw the kid almost fall over himself trying to get up the stairs as quickly as possible and usually someone so helpless would disgust me he just...didn't.

I sat by the window holding my crossbow in one hand and a cigarette in the other and watched as the final bit of the sun disappeared leaving the sky dark and the fields darker.

My mind wondered back to the little tag-along. The way he reacted to me, the way he looked at me and his funny personality just fascinated me. He just seemed pretty oblivious to the horror around him. To find such...innocence in a world like this was...special. I had agreed to take him to Alexandria, at first just out of pity but it was proving to be quite interesting.

He was a good-looking guy, no denying that, jet black hair that hung onto his face in a much more styled way then mine, dark eyes and a slightly rounded face. I sighed.

The kid was fucking cute.

Short little chapter this time, I promise my updates will be more frequent from now on ahah. I wasn't too sure about this chapter, please let me know what you think and any advice is welcome!

Thanks guys xxx


	4. The weeping woman

Hey guys!

Sorry for the delay, I promise not to leave it so long next time. I just got a lot of stuff going on

But yes here is your new chapter I hope your enjoy!

Finally some action! :P

Thanks for your reviews, and please let me know what you think of the new chapter!

The Weeping Woman

I watched as the sun rose through the window. I had stayed tucked up tight in the double bed that smelt like dust for entirety of the night. Daryl had never bothered to come and get me to take over his watch, so I never bothered to offer, offering would mean going down stairs and talking and I had had quite enough awkward encounters for one night thank you.

Throughout the night I had heard him walking around, the quite click of his lighter as he lit up a cigarette and every now and again a very soft humming of a tune I didn't recognise. We both had sleepless nights and what a damn long night it had been. When Daryl was quite I had actually taken to counting the ceiling tiles of the bedroom. 154. I counted twice.

I had heard Daryl start moving around down stairs about half an hour ago, but I stayed in the bed and watched rain drops slowly run down the window of the bedroom. I don't recall when it had started raining. I was working up the courage to go down and join him. I knew we would be moving again soon.

"Glen." I heard a voice call up the stairs and I turned to look at the open door. I loved the way my name sounded with his accent.

"Come get somethin' to eat." I didn't want to move but my stomach made a sound that resembled a dying whale and betrayed me. I gingerly crept out of the bed and tilted my head around the door to see him stood at the bottom of the stairs holding a bowl of what looked like beans. He motioned his head in the direction of the living room and disappeared through the doorway. I took a breath and made my way down the stairs.

He was already sat tucking in to his own bowl. I sat in an arm chair to his right and picked up my own bowl from the coffee table.

"We're movin' after this so be quick." He grumbled his mouth half full of food.

I nodded and quickly began to eat my own bowls worth of luke warm beans. It wasn't a gourmet breakfast but I was starving so anything tasted good.

"How come you didn't come and get me for my watch?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Wasn't tired. Figured you needed to sleep, you seemed pretty stressed last night" He smirked.

I wanted slap that smirk and then kiss it better.

"Any sign of those people from last night?" I asked desperately trying to change the subject before I followed through on my thoughts.

"Nah, think they were just passin' through" he said watching me closely. I wouldn't return his attempt at eye contact instead staring deep into my bowl as if it held the answers to everything that my mind was asking.

After we finished eating we packed up and left without much exchange and once again we were back on the road. The road stretched for miles and was pretty open which caused me to be a little apprehensive, but in the distance the road led off into a forest and I figured the trees would lend us some cover if we needed it.

Daryl walked slightly ahead of me and had his crossbow tight in his grip encase of any surprises. I felt a whole lot safer with him, and to be completely honest with myself, a whole lot safer then I'd felt since this whole shitshow began.

I tiled my head back and let the rain splash on my face. It soothed me somehow, it was gentle and to be honest it made me feel cleaner, I hadn't washed in days. Hadn't gotten much of a chance too.

"So, what was the matter with ya last night" He asked.

I'm pretty sure ever muscle in my body tensed. I couldn't see his face but I could hear the smirk in his voice.

When I didn't answer I heard him let out a deep chuckle.

"Your reminded me of a 16 year old girl, blushing and bein' all coy"

"You're awfully chatty this morning Daryl, if I didn't know any better Id think you were actually starting to enjoy my company." I replied. Two can play at this game.

I heard him scoff and he turned his head to look at me while he walked.

"And If I am?" He voice had deepened and my god it was so sexy I could have tackled him to the ground, If was at all a forward person, which I wasn't so I just let the blush take over my cheeks.

"I..."

We both jumped as a loud gunshot rang out in the distance, Daryl head shot back to face forward as he lifted his crossbow. Another shot rang out and startled me again, Daryl didn't even flinch.

"There" he motioned his crossbow towards the forest as a flock of birds took off from the trees.

Then came a bloodcurdling scream, followed by more desperate screams for help.

I don't know exactly what came over me but I just took off down the road towards the forest, all I had in the means of weapons was a knife in my belt but that womans voice, reminded me of my sister and my legs just began to move.

"Glen! Fuck!" I heard Daryl take off running behind me, I knew it was to stop me but I didn't care, I ran into the forest at full pelt and ignored the horrible déjà vu I got from the last time I ran through the forest in the rain. I came to an opening in the trees and saw a woman knelt on the floor holding onto a man, who looked pretty dead, and surrounding her were about 20 walkers and more were flooding in from the trees. They had obviously been attracted to all the noise she was making.

I took out my knife and plunged it into a the nearest walkers head, a teenager, must of been about 17, I saw his eyes fade and I pulled my blade out and looked for a new target.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM" I commanded the woman, but she just buried his face further into his neck. I heard Daryl finally burst through into the opening as I disposed of the second walker, he snarled in my direction and pulled his crossbow to eye level and began taking down the walkers one by one.

I tried to shout to the woman but she ignored me and tightly held on to the limp body.

As more walkers flooded in from the trees it was easy to realise that this was a losing battle. So I began to push and stab my way through the walkers in an attempt to get to the weeping woman. I pushed a walker out of the way and stabbed my knife into another that was gaining from the other side.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned just in time to see an open mouth coming towards my neck, but before I could scream, the head of an arrow burst through the eye of the walker, spraying blood onto my face. The grip on my shirt loosed as he fell to the ground. I looked at Daryl as he lowered his crossbow slightly to return my gaze for a moment, before lifting it back up to continue his slaughter.

I turned and continued my way through the never ending river of walkers until finally I reached her I managed to grab the her arm and pull her to her feet.

"We have to leave. NOW" I shouted and began to pull her away from what I can only assume was the dead body of her lover, or maybe a family member.

She pulled back towards the body until my grip slipped. Once out of my grasp she threw herself over the body.

"I can't leave him" She sobbed uncontrollably.

A walker had gained on me so I quickly disposed of it with my knife. I grabbed her arm again, and she looked into my eyes "He's dead, and you will be too if we don't go now. There's nothing we can do for him".

She looked into my eyes and seemed to calm for a moment, like my words had actually hit home with her. She looked back down into the man's face and back to me and nodded. I helped her up and looked for a way out of the clearing. Walkers surrounded us, but we still had a few feet of space, it was a good job these things were slow. I couldn't see Daryl anywhere but he was more than capable of looking after himself so when I saw a opening in the walkers I grabbed the woman's hand and began pulling her in that direction . "This way!"

As I began to move I felt her hand pull from mine and heard that bloodcurdling scream once again, I span around and saw the dead man she was weeping for, sinking his teeth into her calf.

"NO!" I screamed and attempted to pull the woman from his grasp; she clung on to my arm for dear life and begged me to help her.

Daryl barrelled his way through wall of oncoming walkers and took moment to take in the scene, his eyes darkened as he grabbed me by my other arm.

"We have to go" He snarled.

"We can't leave her!" I shouted desperately. I could see the walkers gaining, we would be trapped soon, there were just too many.

He just put his head down and pulled me from her grasp, I saw the terror in her eyes as I was pulled from her reach. I fought against him and tried to grab her once again but he was too strong, he took off running through the trees with me in tow. I could hear her screams as she was ripped to pieces by the herd of walkers until her screams died down to nothingness.

We ran until for around ten minutes and I had stopped struggling until our run had turned into a brisk walk, we were out of danger for now and I ripped my arm from his grasp. He stopped and turned to look at me, his eyes were the same as always. How could he be so calm after that?

I felt the anger bubbling inside me.

"How could you do that?!" I spat at him.

"She was already dead." He replied calmly, which angered me even more.

"YOU DIDNT KNOW THAT!"

"YES I DID. You get bit, you're dead. Do you have a death wish kid?" I could hear the anger building in his voice.

"Maybe I do. She begged me not to leave her and I did. I let her be torn apart by those things!" I was shouting at the top of my lungs now.

He growled and advanced on me pushing me back and pinning me against a tree.

"She wasn't our problem. We couldn't save her. Thanks to your fuckin' hero act we tried and almost got ourselves killed." He snarled into my face.

I growled and pushed him with all the strength I could muster.

"You're such an asshole! That woman just died! And your acting like nothing even fuckin' happened!"

He stumbled back and his eyes narrowed, if he wasn't angry before he was definitely angry now. He advanced on me again but this time it was different, it frightened me I tried to back up out of his way and he just grabbed my shoulder and threw me back against the tree, I let out a cry as my back collided with the bark. His arm held either side of the tree trapping me in-between them.

"Listen kid. You're with me, it's my rules. We care about our survival and no one else's. We don't play hero and we don't fuckin' run into stupid situations that could get us killed" He spoke through his teeth, his jaw set with anger.

I began to push him again trying to free myself from between him and the tree he grabbed my arms to try to stop my struggling but I just struggled harder.

He let my arm go and grabbed a hand full of my hair, I let out a cry as he pulled my head back so I was looking at his face, I spat at him and he slammed his lips down on to mine.

My struggling stopped immediately. I cried out against his lips as he pulled at my hair harder and pushed me flat against the tree, covering my body with his and sliding his leg in-between mine. He bit down on my bottom lip. I tasted blood and let out a moan of pleasure and pain and his tongue slid into my mouth. He released my hair and slammed my hands against the tree, I was completely at his mercy. I began to struggle again, managing the free my lips enough to call out his name.

"D..Daryl!"

"Shut up." He growled and once again dominated my lips with his own. He put both of my hands above my head and held them there with one of his own as his other disappeared under my shirt. His fingers danced across the skin of my stomach and then roughly grabbed my bare hip and pulled me closer.

There was nothing gentle about it, it was rough and animal like and I had never been more turned on in my life. I found my body pressing back against his, his leg rubbing roughly against my now erected member. I shivered and moaned into his mouth as our tongues played, his completely dominating mine.

And then suddenly, as quickly as it came his body was gone. I opened my eyes to see that he had stepped back out of my reach and was watching me I wondered why for a moment before realising I must have looked pretty helpless.

Leaning back against the tree because my legs were like jelly, my eyes dazed, my cheeks red, my lips swollen and probably bruised, clothes dishevelled as I tried desperately to catch my breath by panting heavily... And of course my fucking hard as rock boner. My cheeks heated up ever more, if humanly possible.

"We need to get movin'. You will do exactly what I say from now on." And with that Daryl turned around and began walking in the opposite direction.

I didn't even attempt to answer him, I just quickly fixed my clothes with shaking hands before gingerly following him into the trees.

My legs were wobbly as I walked, pulling my shirt down to hide my erection.

What the fuck had just happened? I didn't have a single fucking clue. All I knew was if that was Daryl's way of punishing me I was ready to do everything wrong.


	5. Playing with fire

Hey guys, so another update! I though since as I took a while to update the last chapter I needed to get this was done pretty quickly to make up for it ahah

Please leave a review and let me know what you think!

Enjoy guys!

"Why did you kiss me?" I asked as we sat facing each other across the little decaying cabin.

"Cause' I wanted to" He replied as he tucked into his squirrel with nothing but his fingers.

To say that the air had been heavy since our little make out session was an understatement. The chance for conversation was almost non-existent. Not that either of us had tried.

It had been a long day of walking in silence, I had actually counted my steps for while. Walking with nothing but fields, trees and dirt roads around you is boring after three hours okay?

When we found the cabin Daryl had simply walked inside without explanation. It took me a few minutes to follow; I stayed outside resisting the urge to smash my head against the nearest tree several times.

I mean what was this guy's deal? One minute he's violently kissing me and turning my legs to Jelly and the next he is giving me the silent treatment and can't even manage to look in my direction. The man was an ongoing mystery I didn't think I would ever solve. Once I had actually entered the Cabin he had quickly left with his crossbow and after twenty minutes of staring at a wall and silently complaining about the smell I actually thought he had left me here and wasn't planning to come back. I had let out a sigh of relief when he strutted in with a couple of squirrels and a rabbit hanging around his neck.

He cooked them over a fire at the back of cabin and when it was ready he pretty much threw my half at me, I was glad he didn't see the look of disgust on my face as I looked down at my meal of half a rabbit and a whole squirrel. I didn't let the fact I felt sorry for the poor little animals stop me from eating, to be perfectly honest I was starving and I didn't want to do anything to make Daryl ice me out any further. Lesson two of zombie apocalypse; communication is key.

I took a bite out of my squirrel and continued to stare Daryl out but he was looking anywhere that wasn't at me.

"Didn't think you were the type to bat for the same team." I muttered, at this point I'd say anything to get him to just speak.

"I aint gay." He stated, and I scoffed. That got a rise out of him, he lifted his eyes to lock with mine and I smirked.

"You sure seemed into it" I smiled, lifting my eyebrows as he stared at me for what seemed like hours without blinking.

"That's funny kid, but you were the one with the boner" He resorted, his gaze burned into my skin I returned my gaze with just as much intensity. I wasn't backing down this time.

"You wasn't far off. Thought you were gunna fuck me right against that tree." I stated, there was a pause, I could see that my bluntness threw him off a little bit.

"You'd like that wouldn't ya?" He finally responded, our little staring competition still raging on.

"You sure you wouldn't?" I shot straight back at him.

"You're playin' with fire kid."

"Maybe I like being burnt."

We had both stopped eating, and the room fell silent. Our gazes were still interlocked and the air was heavy.

Finally the silence was broken as Daryl began to chuckle with a dark smirk on his face. He stood and walked to the back of the cabin, moving some boxes out of the way and lifting a loose set of floorboards before putting his hand through and pulling out two bottles of mysterious liquid. He walked towards me until he was at my side then offered me one of the bottles, which I accepted. The other he took with him as he returned to his previous spot.

"Moonshine. Drink." He stated simply. I stared at the bottle sceptically.

"How did you..."

"This is one of my usual pitstops on the way to Alexandria." He interrupted as he took his own drink from the bottle.

I removed the cork and took my own sip and instantly coughed at the taste, I heard Daryl laugh and take another drink. This stuff was seriously strong and I was never a big drinker.

"Ya like being burned but a bit of Moonshine is too much for ya?" He teased and I scowled and took the biggest drink I could manage in one breath.

"You might regret that, but I'm interested to see what kinda drunk ya are. I'm gunna guess a weepy one".

The next few hours were a bit of a blur of laughing, teasing and slowly we had inched slowly closer until we were sat next to each other against the back fall of the cabin.

"So then I make a stupid impulsive decision to go to the grocery store, for supplies and stuff, and when I get there the place is being ransacked, people were fighting in aisles and setting fire to shit but there were no walkers there, so I decided to try my luck. I'm running around grabbing what I can and avoiding fights and I spot this woman holding a baby. She's picking up tins of peas or some shit and this guy comes up to her and tries to the bag of stuff she's got then out of nowhere this woman just fucking uppercuts him! Smack right in the face! This guys drops like a brick! It was hilarious, I was gunna offer to help but I was like 120% sure she could handle herself" I laughed, Daryl chuckled along as I pretty much acted out the whole story while sat taking sips of my drinks in-between sentences.

"Once I saw a walker Vs bear death match, wasn't very interesting but I'll be damned If I'd have missed it" He chuckled and I giggled in return until the laughter slowly died out and the room fell silent.

"Hey, Let play Truth or dare" I giggled and slurred my words as Daryl looked at me with a confused and disapproving look.

"Oh come on Mr serious, you need to loosen up" I smirked but Daryl facial expression still didn't change

"What? Scared of a little danger? Truth or dare Daryl?" I teased

Daryl looked away for a while, but I prodded him a few times in the arm and he sighed. " Alright. Truth."

"Safe answer. Have you ever kissed a guy before today?" I asked before taking another long drink. Daryl glared at me for a moment before putting his head back against the wall and drinking from his own bottle.

"Yes. Once." He replied forcefully.

I choked on my drink. "Really?! Who was it? When was it? Were you two dating?!" I spluttered in disbelief.

"No one you know. About a month after the outbreak and no" He stated while rubbing his eyes with frustration.

"You're no fun!" I pouted. "Okay my turn, I choose truth!" I turned to look at him expectantly and when he took a few minutes to think. I nudged him, wearing a pout much bigger than before and he sighed heavily.

"Have you ever fucked a girl?" He asked simply.

"No, came close to it once though. Had this girlfriend called Maggie, this didn't work out though and she's actually the first person I came out too. I kinda had no choice, she wanted to know why I couldn't... get things going...In the bedroom" I could feel the blush creeping up my neck and into my cheeks as Daryl laughed.

"Seriously? You're really gay, like can't even fuck a girl gay." He said inbetween his chuckles.

"Well yeah! I told you that. And you can't talk if I remember correctly Daryl. Truth or dare?" I smirked as he shot me a look and set his drink down. My vision was starting the blur more and more and I am pretty sure I was swaying from side to side.

"Dare."

"Kiss me."

The room once again the room fell silent and Daryl didn't move.

"I don't think that's a good idea kid." He said as he stood and began to walk away.

"Are ya scared? Come on Daryl you had no problem doing it this morning, unless your gunna be a pussy and chicken out." I teased and watched as he turned to face me, he stood just beyond my feet and stared down at me. I could see him fighting with himself inside that mysterious head of his.

"You're drunk" He stated.

"You scared to get burnt Daryl?" I stared at him with wanting eyes and watched as that dark look took over his eyes once again.

Suddenly his hand wrapped around my ankle and pulled roughly until I was no longer sat with my bank against the wall. I was lay flat against the floor. I felt my breath catch in my throat at he descended on my body, straddling my waist and once again grabbing a handful of my hair to pull me up to meet his lips in a kiss that tasted like pure lust. I moaned instantly at the roughness, who knew I was a borderline masochist?

He pushed my head down and pinned my arms above my head with one hand, I whined as his lips left mine. He ripped the front of my shirt open with one hand and I gasped as his lips attacked my neck, altering between kisses, licks and bites hard enough to draw blood, he worked his way down my neck and chest before stopped and coming back up to meet my lips.

I felt my head spinning as he bit my lip and shoved his tongue into my mouth, I melted underneath him. I could feel my erection rising as his hand ran down my chest and slowly his fingers began to tease and rub my nipple in circles before pitching it, he applied the perfect pressure so that the pain and pleasure mixed together in a dangerously delicious concoction.

I moaned deeply into his mouth as our tongue battled and his hand tightened around my wrists. I loved it, I loved everything about it, the roughness, the domination and how fucking hot he made me feel all over. The room span around me and I felt his hand continue its descent, until it reached the top of my worn jeans.

My heart and head pounded as I felt the button of my jeans snap open and at that moment the room went completely dark.

I groaned loudly as I finally came too, it was obviously the next morning as light poured through the cabin windows. I was still in the position I had been in on the floor, however I noticed there was an old blanket coving my body, I winced as almost as quickly as I had opened my eyes a hammering pain began to wrack my skull.

I sat up and saw a packet of pain killers and bottle of water had been left for me but Daryl was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he had gone to get something to eat before we started to move again. I sighed and took two of the pills left for me. I took a moment to just hold my head and feel sorry for myself before standing.

I looked down at my shirt and saw that every button had been ripped off completely and groaned. I thought back to the night before and blushed. Apparently I was an extremely forward drunk, well better then a weepy one I guess. I removed the shirt and threw it into the corner before digging into Daryl bag in hopes of a new shirt, and luckily enough there was a black t-shirt, It would be a little big on me but it was good enough.

Once changed, I sat and waited for Daryl to return, I slowly picked at the Half eaten squirrel I had left the night before. The last thing I wanted to do was eat but I forced it down anyway, I needed as much energy as possible today, walking for hours was bad enough but with a killer hang over? I'd need all the help I could get.

After a while of sitting the picking slowly at my food I heard running footsteps approaching the cabin and I dropped the squirrel and pulled out my knife. Daryl burst through the door, I had never seen him panicked before and I instantly became scared shitless. It was obvious he had been running for a while, sweat ran down his face and his shirt was damp and stuck to his chest and back, I'd be lying if I said he didn't look hot. He turned to look at me with a different look in his eyes, one I hadn't seen before. Was he scared?

"We have to leave. NOW".


	6. A special kind of crazy

Okay, so this chapter is a little short I know, but I struggled with this one a bit.

No fluffy or sexy times, but I promise the next chapter will be full of it! Ahah

Please let me know what you think.

 _"I don't want to take their call Maggie. Tell them I'm not here" I pouted, shoving my nose further into my book. I had a big test coming up and I had to study, but that was just an excuse._

 _"Glenn... They are your parents you can't avoid them forever" She spoke carefully, it was a touchy subject for me and she knew that. I think Maggie knew me better then I knew myself._

 _"I can try; the last time I spoke to my mom she called me a disappointment. A disappointment Maggie. It's not like I can change who I am. Trust me I've tried, if you remember we used to date." Irritation laced my voice but I didn't care. I wasn't ready to speak to them yet, and it's not like they were going anywhere._

 _"Hey, can I just say that I am an amazing kisser, you were lucky to have touched these lips" She laughed._

 _"I was imaging Robert Downy Jr the whole time." I shot back, we both laughed and I received a munch in the shoulder. She looked at me expectantly and I sighed._

 _"Just tell them I'm busy. I might give them a call at the weekend." I mumbled, giving Maggie a compromise would at least get her off of my back for a few days. It also gave me three days to figure out exactly what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it, It was a difficult subject for both me and my parents so if I didn't plan carefully It could end up blowing up into a shouting match...again._

 _Maggie nodded and left the room to relay my message. I listened to the news report from the TV in the next room, Riots, mysterious army presences and shootings, it had been like this for weeks and it had done nothing to lighten my mood. I turned my attention back to my book as Maggie returned and took a seat next to me._

 _"I'm glad you're trying to resolve this while you still can Glenn. You never know what will happen. I know you don't want to leave it like this." She said softly and placed her hand on my shoulder._

 _I knew she was right, even if I didn't want to admit it._

That was two days before the shit really hit the fan, I wonder if the virus had been made public sooner weather that would have helped contain it, probably not. It probably would have caused mass panic but one can't help but wonder. However I'm not quite sure why that memory and thought in particular crossed my mind during the current situation of having to run for my life. I think that the thought of dying without ever being able to fix it bothered me. It was useless though, I was pretty sure that both my parents and sister were dead. I shoved the thought to one side; I had more important things to worry about right now.

I'm running as hard as I can. Daryl's just ahead of me, I'm following closely behind him because if I lose him it is very unlikely I'd ever find him again and that would mean pretty imminent death for me. I saw that look in Daryl eyes, he was scared.

That terrified me, over the days of knowing him I had this unrealistic dream he was just invincible. That was foolish; he was flesh and blood just like me. Just a lot more badass. So whatever had him running, I definitely did not want to meet.

We ran through a forest that never seemed to end, I could hear something in the distance I couldn't quite make it out but I think I could just about hear the sound of shouting. It seemed to be following us. We came to a field and Daryl paused for a moment, I could see him waying up the options, the field was open, we could be seen, but we couldn't turn around or we would probably come face to face with whatever we were running from. I could hear a lot better now we weren't running, I could hear the shouts of men, they sounded...excited? Like men on a hunt.

Daryl looked back and cursed under his breath, we were running out of time. So he nodded at me and we raced across the field. There was no other obvious option. The field must have been a mile long, we had just made it half way across when I glanced back and saw figures emerge from the tree line. 4? Maybe 5.

I heard there woops of excitement as they spotted us, I heard gun shots sound, into the air I think as I didn't hear any bullet shoot past us. "Daryl!" I shouted in desperation. I had no idea what to do. We were almost across the field and would soon disappear in the protection of the trees when two more immerged from behind the trees, both armed with large rifles. It was like they had herded us exactly where they wanted us.

We stopped dead in our tracks. I looked around franticly but there was nowhere else to run, I was pretty sure they would shoot us if we ever tried it. I looked to Daryl desperately; he had to have a plan. The look on his face only indicated one thing and my stomach dropped, he had nothing.

As they approached us from both sides I let my head hang low, scared of looking any of the men in the eye, however Daryl kept his head high, staring off into the distance as they came to circle us.

"Hello there fellas, nice weather for a hunt, wouldn't you say?" I looked at the face of the man speaking, he must have been the leader, he laughed and the rest joined him. For a leader he was pretty short, maybe an inch taller than me? He looked to be mid 40's but looked pretty fit for his age, but I suppose you'd have to be, sick and unfit people are easy targets for a herd of walkers.

"Now you know how it works boys. Show me what you've got Ill take what I want and you go on your merry way. No one needs to get hurt, but you so much as look at me or my boys wrong and ill put a bullet through your knee caps and leave you for the walkers." He smiled sweetly like he didn't just threaten to kneecap us and let us be eaten alive. He was what I liked to call a special kind of crazy.

Daryl frowned and threw the bag of supplies he had onto the ground in front of the leader, I followed suit and threw my backpack down.

"This is all we have." I muttered.

"Well I don't know, That's a mighty fine crossbow you have there. It would look really nice on my arm." He smirked, I saw Daryl tense and grit his teeth. One of the other men came forward to retrieve the crossbow and he turned to glare at him and kept a firm grip on his weapon.

The man brought his gun up and aimed it straight at his head.

"No! Please!" I cried out desperately. The moment seemed to freeze in time, me reaching out to Daryl, Daryl standing strong looking down the barrel of the gun like it was nothing. I could see the man's fingers twitching on the trigger.

"Jack, put the gun down boy." The leader ordered, and 'Jack' hesitated for a moment before lowering the gun slowly. I grabbed Daryl's arm and pulled him around to look at me. I pleaded with my eyes from him to just give the crossbow up. It wasn't worth this.

"You're a smart kid." The leader mused over me, looking me up and down. "How about this Tall Dark and scary, you keep that crossbow. And I'll take this little guy off your hands." I stared at him open mouthed as he grabbed my arm and pushed me into the arms of two of his men, they restrained each of my arms, I struggled but they were too strong. Daryl watched the scene with a calm demeanour. How could he be so calm?!

"Daryl.." I whimpered as the leader came to stand in front of me, grabbing my chin with one hand and forcing me to look him in the eye, I frowned at him and resisted the urge to spit in his face.

He leaned in and grinned. "My men will have fun taking turns on you. Women are scares and needs must kid." They laughed and my face dropped into one of horror.

I saw a hand land on the man's shoulder. He glanced behind him and looked at Daryl who stood with his head down, hair covering his face and a firm grip on the leaders shoulder.

"What the f-" Suddenly the man was dragged towards the other three men behind him. Daryl blocked a bullet that was sent flying at him with the leaders body then threw him towards the men and on coming instantly grabbed a knife from his belt and sent it flying through the air, it struck the leader right in-between the eyes.

I froze for a second before I realised that I had to do something there were too many for Daryl to take alone, so I lifted my knee up and managed to catch one of the men holding me right in the balls. He released me straight away and I took the opportunity to swing my fist around the hit the other square in the face.

Man it hurt. I had never punched anyone before, what can I say? I'm a lover not a fighter.

I scrabbled to pick up the Ak47 that one of them had dropped. I aimed it instantly and Daryl dove to the floor shooting the two on the ground that had restrained me as he fell. Impressive.

"Shoot!"

I opened fire, spraying bullets everywhere; I managed to hit all of the three left standing. They hit the ground and then there was quite. The wind blew softly and I just stared at the bodies on the floor. I had killed someone, not a walker. I had shot people, people who were still...people. I dropped the gun and took a breath I realised I had been holding.

"Nice shot" Daryl muttered as he climbed to his feet, dusting off his shirt. I didn't reply, I had no reply. I turned away from the scene and stared at the floor. I had killed three people.

Daryl must have noticed my inner moral turmoil, he walked around to stand in front of me and put one hand on my shoulder, he stared into my eyes before pulling me close, giving me a one armed hug. Daryl was hugging me, well...this was a development. "You had too." He muttered and as quickly as the hug had started it was gone.

I heard him pick up our bags and he nudged my arm and handed mine to me. I took it and noticed how badly my hands were shaking.

"Keep a look out I'm gunna search em." He stated and I continued to stare at the floor, I heard Daryl moving the bodies, I heard the degusting squelch as the knife was pulled from the leaders scull. I refrained from throwing up as I heard the knife enter each of the other skulls. I stayed perfectly still.

"Lets go" I hardly heard him but I nodded and followed as he walked, I didn't turn around or even glance back.

We walked back to the cover of the trees, about half a mile in, before Daryl slumped down at the base of a tree and handed me a bottle of water, I sat on a nearby rock and closed my eyes for a moment. It had all happened so quickly and I think my brain was having trouble processing all the information and events. I watched as Daryl took a long drink from his bottle and took a sip of my own.

"That your first person then?" He asked, staring off somewhere through the trees.

"Yes. I only killed my first walker yesterday." He looked at me with a shocked expression.

"How in the hell did you survive this long? Ya must be blessed by god or some shit." He looked genuinely confused. He was right to be, it was a fucking miracle I was still alive.

"I was with a really good group of people, we were in the woods, away from it all. It took a few months for the walkers to start spreading out from the cities, guess we were just lucky." I put my head down as I remembered that night. The night I had met Daryl. The night our camp was over run, and I was lucky enough to be woken by the screams of my friends being eaten, before I shared their fate. I didn't feel lucky.

"The worlds an ugly place now kid. You gotta learn to deal with that or it will eat ya up" Daryl sounded like he spoke from experience, but I can't imagine Daryl ever struggling in this world. Quite the opposite really, he seemed to thrive in it, that probably wasn't a good thing.

Daryl sighed when his words were met with silence.

"Come on kid, only a few days left until you're behind walls that will protect ya from all this." He muttered as he stood.

I stood and followed when he began to walk. I wasn't sure how anything could protect people from that the world had become. It just seemed impossible, but if Daryl trusted it so did I.


End file.
